​Nail health is often overlooked. Keeping up with your pup’s nail length can prevent pain and potential paw and joint issues and keep you from getting scratched.

​Nails should never touch the floor. The clicking on your floors is a sure sign that your dog’s nails need attention.

​Nails that touch the floor are putting pressure back into your dog’s nail bed and paw. This is painful! Eventually it will affect the way your dog walks and hurt their joints.

Long nails can fracture or split on abrasive surfaces such as concrete. Neglected nails are also more likely to split or become snagged on carpet and may need treatment. Long nails can injure your dog’s playmates, because dogs use their paws and mouth when they tussle and play. Regular nail trim can avoid all these risks!

As the nails grow, so do their “quicks”. The quick is the pink part of the nail containing the nerves and blood. If nails are allowed to grow without trimming, it takes much longer to take them back down to the correct length. Since the quick is much longer, you can only take small amounts at a time. It is important to maintain nails to prevent this.

The best way to trim your dog’s nails is with a grinding tool or dremel. A grinding tool allows a much closer trim with the ability to trim above, below, and all around the quick. The quick will recede when the nail has been trimmed closely. This allows you to go even shorter the next time!